


Best Room in the Clinic

by Lady_Ganesh



Category: Angel: the Series
Genre: Community: purimgifts, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2009-03-11
Updated: 2009-03-11
Packaged: 2017-10-03 00:02:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 673
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12054
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lady_Ganesh/pseuds/Lady_Ganesh
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Lilah Morgan has made her choices.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Best Room in the Clinic

Alice's room was the best in the clinic. It was bigger than the other ladies'-- Lilah had measured it to be sure-- and fresh flowers were delivered every day. Roses have always been Alice's favorite, but roses are expensive. Besides, roses every day would be dull.

On Thursday, the delivery girl brought lilies into her room. Alice always found lilies very pretty; very pretty indeed. At ten minutes before ten, Alice straightened her dress and got up from her chair. Thursday; Bingo Day, and Alice has always prided herself in her skill at bingo. Years ago, she'd leave Lilah with her mother and head off to the Legion Hall, the room thick with cigarette smoke as the numbers were called. She could do ten cards at a time. Now she played one, on her good days.

"I have lilies today," she announced to Margaret, who was shuffling her walker in the opposite direction. Margaret has never played bingo, claiming it makes her head hurt. Alice's theory was simpler; Margaret is just afraid to lose.

"That girl of yours come by lately?" Margaret asked, like the question was a weapon.

"She's very busy," Alice said, drawing herself up. "She's a very important lawyer in a very important firm." Alice couldn't quite remember the name; she focused, but saw only animals; dog, sheep, deer. "And she calls every day."

"Of course," Margaret said, in her nasty voice. Alice ignored her and went to bingo.

 

She won one round of bingo, and got an extra candy bar as her prize. She picked a Hershey bar, to save for after dinner. Lilah had liked Hershey bars best when she was a little girl, so Alice used to save them for a treat. Lilah had to stay slim, after all. No one would take a fat girl seriously, and in the world they lived in, you had to hold on to every advantage you got.

She'd taught her girl _that_ much; taught her well.

Lilah called after dinner, her voice even and calm. She told Alice she'd met a young man, though Alice can't quite remember his name afterward. "You can't count on men," Alice counseled. "Just remember. Always stick up for yourself."

"I know," Lilah said.

Alice saw Margaret staring at her from the doorway. Let the bitch stare. _Her_ daughter hardly calls at all. Alice smiled in triumph.

 

_"So the room won't be coming open?" Margaret Brstilo's daughter asked._

_"No," Janice Kim answered. "It's paid for."_

_"But Mother said that Alice's daughter--"_

_"Alice's account is fully paid," Janice said, trying to put just enough edge in her voice to stop the line of inquiry. Constance Bristilo knew better than to ask her to reveal the personal lives of her residents, and she certainly didn't need to know that Lilah Morgan's former company had fully funded Alice's medical bills for years to come. "Ms. Bristilo, surely you know better than to ask--"_

_"I'm sorry," Constance said, backing down a little. "It's just that Mother is so unhappy in that room--"_

_Janice Kim was fairly certain that Margaret Bristilo would be unhappy at the Ritz Carlton, but she kept her tone sympathetic nonetheless. "I understand," she said. "We're doing the best we can."_

_She put her head down and rubbed her temples when she hung up the phone. Dr. Sweeney nodded sympathetically in her direction. "Long day?"_

_"It's not the residents," she said into the desk. "It's their families."_

_"Isn't it always that way?" Dr. Sweeney said sympathetically. "I've checked Akira out. Who's next on the roster?"_

_"Alice," Janice said. "She should be resting now."_

_"Her phone call's over?"_

_"Should be."_

_Sweeney stopped for a moment on her way out of the office. She was still young, still optimistic, still full of energy. Janice envied her that, and appreciated it. "Janice?"_

_"Yes?"_

_"Who-- who do you think she talks to?"_

_Janice bit her lower lip. "I don't know," she said. "But...I know whoever it is, they make her happy."_

_Sweeney nodded. "Yeah. Guess we'll settle for that."_

**Author's Note:**

> Many thanks to [](http://meganbmoore.livejournal.com/profile)[**meganbmoore**](http://meganbmoore.livejournal.com/) for betaing.


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